My favorite experiences are those that break stereotypes beyond expectations, and Chinese food in the United States has a long standing and sometimes understandable stereotype of being decently-priced, average food that will at least satisfy your hunger.
Located at 1625 South Seneca Street in Wichita, Mings Chinese Restaurant has been around for as long as I can remember. We’d always pass it whenever my parents would drive my brothers and me to church on Sundays, but I never gave it much of a second glance after passing its big yellow sign pointing to the unassuming building. I thought it was just another Great Wall.
The interior of the restaurant tells a different story. The design and decorations declare that this is a Chinese restaurant, not the usual Chinese-American fair people, or I, would initially expect. While the sign says it is a Chinese-American restaurant, the menu says it is Chinese and Google says it is Cantonese, so I’ll let you be the judge there.
The server was very attentive the entire time. It was a slower evening and there was only the one server tending to all the tables, but she took the job seriously and made sure everyone was getting great service. I was never more than halfway empty with my drink before she refilling my glass. She even gave me a complementary sugar roll before bringing out the main dishes, which was a small bread roll covered in sugar and cinnamon. It was simple, yet tasty.
The menu gives the vibe of being just another Chinese restaurant, with the usual dishes like lo mein, fried rice dishes and the variety of chicken, beef, pork and shrimp dishes cooked and prepared in several ways. The main difference comes from the flavor of the dishes themselves.
I started with an appetizer of pot stickers and crab rangoon. Both were seemingly freshly made; they were steaming hot on first bite. The pot stickers were not sticky as you would expect, but nicely crispy and paired well with the dipping sauce. The crab rangoon was a pleasant surprise to say the least. I had been used to the same kind of sweet, if not too sweet taste of most crab rangoon that the creamy, savory flavor of this one caught me off guard. The garlic in the cream cheese added a wonderful flavor that might have ruined other restaurant’s iterations for me.
I got to try both the curry chicken and the beef pepper steak. Where these dishes deviated from the stereotypical Chinese-American dishes was from the excellent blend of flavors in each dish. The vegetables complemented and added to the meal rather than filled up the plate. The steak was tender and well-seasoned and the pepper was cooked while not losing its texture and distinct flavor. The curry chicken was zesty and had well-balanced portions of broccoli, mushrooms, carrots, and potatoes that all came together in a tasty and surprisingly spicy curry sauce. The chicken was also good, but in the mix of vegetables it blended more into the dish than really stood out. I would highly recommend both dishes.
The biggest criticism I had against the dishes was from the fried rice. Compared to the delightful flavors from the main entrees, the rice was rather bland and did not really add to the meal in any substantial way. Fortunately, the rest of the meal made up for it.
The curry sauce itself was unexpected in its own way. Several options on the menu were marked to say that it was a spicy item, but the curry chicken did not have any such marking. As I ate, I could tell that were was a distinct kick to the dish. While it was not overwhelming, I could feel the burn build up after the several bites. I had a little sweat develop on my nose and I had to take some drinks of water in between a few bites to cool down some. While I am not averse to spicy food and can enjoy them to an extant, this might surprise and put off some people who are not as experienced.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. There was nothing in my time spent there that would steer me away from it. The service was great, the food better, and the price was very reasonable. I plan on returning whenever I get the craving for Chinese food and I find myself on that side of town.
4 out of 5
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